Noem Announces Black Paint for U.S.-Mexico Border Wall to Deter Crossings

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the entire southern border wall with Mexico will be painted black, a move she said was requested by President Donald Trump and designed to deter illegal crossings by making the steel surface hotter and harder to grip. The plan, unveiled at a ceremony along a stretch of the border in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, accompanies a broader push to fortify border security with enhanced technology, cameras, sensors and waterborne infrastructure as the administration presses to complete more of the wall’s reach.

Noem framed the painting as part of a comprehensive strategy to secure the border, noting that the wall’s height and the way it is embedded in the ground already present formidable barriers to entry. She said painting the surface black will heat the metal in hot climates, further complicating attempts to climb, while the coating will also help defend the steel from rust. “That is specifically at the request of the president, who understands that in the hot temperatures down here, when something is painted black, it gets even warmer, and it will make it even harder for people to climb,” Noem explained. She added that the move...